The Lost Vikings: 3 Open Source Clones Compared
The Lost Vikings/Blackthorne Tools doesn't reimplement either game — it's a public-domain library and set of command-line tools for extracting, viewing, and decompiling the original DOS data files, with several known rendering bugs in its viewers. LostVikings, by contrast, is an actual playable native Linux/Windows port built by decompiling the original executable, and can optionally add SNES/Genesis-exclusive console content if the player supplies their own console ROM images; both require the original game's DATA.DAT file.
Comparison table
Availability
- Status
- —
- Platforms
- Linux
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Halted
- Last updated
- 4y ago
- Stars
- 82
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesThe tools require the original DATA.DAT file from either The Lost Vikings or Blackthorne to extract and work with game resources.
Availability
- Status
- Semi-playable
- Platforms
- Windows, Linux
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Active
- Last updated
- today
- Stars
- 0
- Contributors
- 1
- License
- —
- Engine
- SDL2
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- YesRequires DATA.DAT from a legal copy of the original Lost Vikings game; the bundled binary snapshots only replace the static EXE image.
Availability
- Status
- Playable
- Platforms
- None
- Play in browser
- No
- Mobile
- No
Project health
- Development status
- Not tracked
- Last updated
- Not tracked
- Stars
- Not tracked
- Contributors
- Not tracked
- License
- Not tracked
- Engine
- Not tracked
Compatibility
- Requires original assets
- —
| Title | The Lost Vikings/Blackthorne Tools | LostVikings | freeVikings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status | — | Semi-playable | Playable |
| Platforms | Linux | Windows, Linux | None |
| Play in browser | No | No | No |
| Mobile | No | No | No |
| Project health | |||
| Development status | Halted | Active | Not tracked |
| Last updated | 4y ago | today | Not tracked |
| Stars | 82 | 0 | Not tracked |
| Contributors | 1 | 1 | Not tracked |
| License | CC0-1.0 | — | Not tracked |
| Engine | SDL2 | SDL2 | Not tracked |
| Compatibility | |||
| Requires original assets | YesThe tools require the original DATA.DAT file from either The Lost Vikings or Blackthorne to extract and work with game resources. | YesRequires DATA.DAT from a legal copy of the original Lost Vikings game; the bundled binary snapshots only replace the static EXE image. | — |
| Preview | | |
Known limitations
- rendering: Many sprites are rendered incorrectly or not at all in the level viewer due to unclear sprite set selection and palette handling.
- rendering: Packed 32x32 object sprites are not drawn; the game's sprite set selection mechanism is not fully understood.
- rendering: Blackthorne levels often do not render correctly; parts of the map appear to be folded and secondary tile maps for backgrounds are not supported.
- rendering: Palette animations are decoded but not fully understood or supported.
Frequently asked questions
Are the The Lost Vikings clones on this page open source?
Yes — every clone catalogued here is an open-source project. Availability, license, and development-status details for each one are listed in the comparison table above.
What license do these The Lost Vikings clones use?
The Lost Vikings/Blackthorne Tools (CC0-1.0).
Do I need to own the original The Lost Vikings to play these clones?
The Lost Vikings/Blackthorne Tools and LostVikings require original game assets to play.
Which The Lost Vikings clone is the most actively maintained?
LostVikings is currently under active development, based on recent commit activity. See the "Development status" row above for every clone's current status.
See the full write-up for each clone, or go back to The Lost Vikings.